The word “sorry”

“Say ‘sorry’ to your sister,” I say to my son after he accidentally spills her milk. “Sor-rry” he says in a two syllable, angry tone. He doesn’t want to admit error, he doesn’t want to apologize. He is like me at times.

The word “Sorry” is a powerful word, one that is not very often utilized in our public lexicon today. It is a word that assumes a blow to the ego, something that not many people (no matter what their spiritual or religious background) are ready or willing to do. Sorry, and all that comes with it is possibly the most difficult of the words that we will look at in this month’s sermon series.

Some people think that the word Sorry suggests weakness and is, therefore, a sentiment to be avoided. To admit wrongdoing and the need to apologize and make an amends is to open oneself up to ridicule and judgment.

Some Christ followers may think since Jesus died on the cross for our sins the word Sorry is not a word that needs to be lived on a daily basis. They may think that the need to say Sorry suggests a lack of faith in God’s forgiveness.

The Good News is a paradox. To live the word Sorry is to express weakness, but it is in that weakness that strength is found. It is in the acknowledgment of our need for restoration that abundant life is found. When Sorry becomes a central theme of our life, we are joining Christ on the cross and journeying towards resurrection.